The Endgame Comes
by Faxxie
Summary: The boy's eyes peered up at the heavens as his hand clutched his chest grasping for the heart that was no longer there.  Lips calling out to the gods that were just out of reach.  A new gen story.
1. His Butler, Recalling

**Authors Note:** So first off, let me just say that this will be a Next Generation type story. The canon characters may have a cameo here and there but the focus will be on a whole new cast of characters and their stories. I would love for people to submit their own OCs to be added in because it would make my job easier and would add to the fun. If you want to submit an OC then just send me a message. Though I do reserve the right to change and use them as I see fit.

Now then, off to the actual story!

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><p><em>Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in the grave.<em>

"Looks like i's gonna rain, don' it suh?"

Gray eyes snapped to attention as the man was pulled out of his thoughts and into the real world once more. He could only grunt his agreement as he looked back up at the sky, which was turning a frightful shade of gray. Already the clouds looked as if they were ready to burst and let loose a storm on London. Anyone with half a mind had already made their way to the safety of their home except for the man in the lone stagecoach that was slowly driving up the stone path.

"Stop here." The man barked as the driver pulled on the reigns and stopped the horses in front of a small brick house. The driver rushed to help the man out onto the steps but he was already too late as the man hastily opened the door himself and all but slammed it shut while casting his eyes towards the skies once more.

"Don't wait for me." The man said gruffly as he walked past the driver who had his hand out and waiting for a tip. As the passenger entered the house the driver was left cursing all these fine gentlemen who did not have manners enough to tip a man who would drive around at such an ungodly hour. No matter, he didn't want to be caught in the storm himself so he resigned to his fate and started the horses once more for home.

As the grey-eyed man opened the door he could already tell that something was amiss in the house. The lock in the front had been broken and the door was loose from its hinges even as he slowly bushed it open. Someone had desperately tried to break into this home and it appeared that they had succeeded. After all, if they had failed then he wouldn't have to be here in the first place.

"Ah, Inspector Kent, we were waiting for you." A young man in glasses said cheerily as he walked over to the older gentlemen and ushered him inside. Kent could only grimace at the young officer wondering just what he was so happy about in a situation such as the one they found themselves in. This was what bothered him about these young police lads. They were all far too eager to get their hands on a case with no real regard to decency and tact. They saw it as a game where they could make a big name for themselves by solving a large case. Soon even this policeman would learn that this job brought out the worst in people as they were forced to face the evils that lurked in a man's heart.

"Where is the body?" Kent asked the young man, not bothering for idle chitchat. He was here for work and the sooner he got to the crime scene the better.

The young man was taken back by the gruffness of the inspector's tone and stammered a bit trying to regain himself. Finally, he pointed up the rickety stairs that led to the second floor and the bedroom in question. Kent merely nodded his head as he made his way up to the second floor, taking note of how much the old, wooden stairs creaked under his weight.

The second floor was teaming with life as men in uniforms hustled around busily trying to collect evidence and question whatever witnesses were present. Another officer pointed the Inspector towards the door on the far right that was kept open and people were rushing in and out of.

Even as he neared the door the Inspector was hit by a stench that almost made his stomach churn. Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a handkerchief with "HJK" monogrammed on the corner in a golden script. Putting the handkerchief to his nose he tried to use it to block the smell that seemed to be leaking from ever crack in the walls. It was a smell he knew all too well; the smell of a decaying body.

As he entered the door he finally came face to face with what was causing the wretched smell. There, lying on a small bed, was a boy, his eyes cast up towards the heavens as his hand clutched his chest grasping for the heart that was no longer there.

The boy could have been no older then twelve and he was still dressed in his nightshirt ready for bed. His smile was peaceful but his eyes held a faraway gaze of someone who was lost to the mortal world. His soft brown hair was ruffled slightly and one would have almost thought he was playing if it wasn't for the gaping hole in his chest. Right where his heart should have been there was only an empty blackness as it had been torn from his frail body.

"His mother found him like this when she went to check on him in the middle of the night." A voice said to the right of the Inspector as Kent turned to see Detective Lawrence shaking his head back and forth at the thought of a mother walking in to see her child like this.

"She's completely inconsolable. We finally had one of the doctors give her something just to keep her from tearing her hair off." The detective said as Kent could only imagine what the woman was feeling now that her child had been torn away from her.

"I trust that your men have done their job." Lawrence nodded in response as he gestured to the men who were busily doing their job. There was little evidence to go on and while the front door was broken they couldn't even find a footprint or a shred of fabric pointing them towards a suspect. The more they searched the more frustrated they found themselves as they desperately tried to grasp at clues.

"I know you don't want to hear this," Lawrence said as he glanced at Kent who was already scowling. They were thinking the same thing but neither man wanted to say it aloud. "I believe it's the same man who killed the others." Lawrence finally said as he voiced their greatest fear.

Over the past few months strange things had been happening around London. It began with some minor grave robbing when groundskeepers had found coffins dug up and corpses missing body parts. They had just assumed it was a ring of thieves lurking in the area but things soon turned more dangerous. People had begun disappearing and then were found days later with body parts missing. It was always a different part and try as they might, Scotland Yard couldn't connect any of the people. They were dealing with a madman and it seemed as if he had struck again.

Kent let out a low growl as he gripped his handkerchief tightly until his knuckles turned white. There was a monster preying upon innocent people and children and they were no closer to finding him. In his ten years as an Inspector the man had never felt so helpless to do something and it tore him up inside. People were dying and he could do nothing.

"I have a letter for you." Lawrence said as he produced a thin white envelope with a red wax seal bearing the Queen's crest.

With trembling hands, Kent took the envelope and opened it as his eyes moved across the page and read what it had to say. The Queen had taken a personal interest in the case and had a request to make. She wanted the young Count Sorien to be given full access to the investigation. While worded as a request even the Inspector knew that the Queen's wishes were final.

Taking his leave, Kent walked out the door just as thunder cracked across the sky and the rain started to fall. He would meet with the Count but something about this was all unsettling. There was something about the Count that made Kent's blood run cold and his heart beat faster. He did not know what the Queen was planning but if Sorien was involved then it couldn't be good.

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><p><strong>Authors Note:<strong> Next chapter you'll get to meet the main characters and see the dynamics of what is going on. Right now I'm trying to build their world and give the hints of what the plot is but it runs a lot deeper then one might think. I will probably change the rating of the story as time goes on since I do plan for there to be some language and violence as well as other things present.

Please read and review!


	2. His Butler, The Meeting

**Authors Note:** Wow, well here is the second chapter and where we really get to meet the characters that are going to be directing the story. Thank you to everyone who submitted an OC and keep a lookout because they'll all be showing up soon.

If anyone would still like to submit an OC for the story then please feel free to contact me. More are always welcome.

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><p><em>Although you may spend your life killing, You will not exhaust all your foes. But if you quell your own anger, your real enemy will be slain.<em>

The storm had passed but, for the Inspector, the worst had yet to come. He fiddled with his tie as he eyed the heavy wooden door as if it was the gateway to hell. It was too late now and even he could not ignore an order from the Queen. Grabbing hold of the lion's head knocker, he slammed it against the oak and prayed to some distant god that there would be no answer.

Unfortunately for Inspector Kent, the gods were well known for their games.

The door opened as if by some hidden force and the Inspector found himself face to face with one of the few people in this world who truly could frighten him.

"Ah, Inspector. We've been expecting you." A smooth voice called out from the darkness as it enveloped him in its velvet sound. There was something deeply alluring in the husky timbers of the voice that beckoned him into the darkness and made him lose himself for a moment.

Standing before him was none other then Count Sorien's butler, Saga.

The man was a creature in and of himself. Draped in a black uniform befitting his position he was a vision of beauty and darkness. Saga stood a good head above the Inspector and had eyes that shone golden even in the shadows of the hallway. The man must have stepped from the minds of Greek poets who would have likened him to even Apollo. He was free of any blemishes and, try as he might, the Inspector couldn't find even the smallest hint of dirt or dust on his pressed suit. Even his curiously colored hair, a silver which shone white in the sun, was hanging down his back in a neat ponytail.

"May I take your hat, Inspector?" Saga asked with the same velvety voice as he held his hand out to take the Inspectors hat. Kent reached for his head with trembling fingers and handed the butler his porkpie hat.

"The count is awaiting you in the parlor." Saga said as he placed the Inspector's hat on a hanger before leading the older man down a long hallway towards the parlor where the Count would be waiting.

Kent looked around the large mansion and had to keep an awed whistled down. The Count had bought the mansion a scant six months ago and when he had first bought it it was almost to the point of being condemned. Somehow he had managed to transform the decrepit home into something of beauty and elegance. The marble floors and golden pillars lit the way showing off deep red walls and expensive paintings. The style was almost Arabic and it made the Inspector wonder just how long he would have to save up to afford a place like this. By his calculations he should be halfway there in about two hundred years.

The butler opened the parlor door and led the Inspector in where a chair was already waiting for him across the Count.

"Inspector Kent, so nice you could make it." A smooth white hand reached out to shake his own as the Inspector took his seat across from the Count. He made a mental note that the butler did not leave and instead stood behind his master.

"Yes, well I'm not here for pleasantries." The inspector said gruffly as he eyed the Count. How someone so young to come into such power was beyond him.

The Count had arrived in England only six months ago and already he had made quite an impact in the court. No one was sure where exactly he came from but the young boy's accent was faintly eastern European with a hint of something else. There was a hint of mystery about him and no one had ever gotten close enough to see just why he had come to England. Whenever asked, the Count would simply reply for business but no one knew just what that business was. He had his hands in trading and manufacturing but the exact details were a mystery.

Adrien Sorien, a boy unlike any other that the Inspector had met. His exact age was a mystery but if the Inspector had to guess he would say the boy was around sixteen or seventeen years of age. Many of the ladies in court had been gossiping about this handsome stranger. His eyes seemed to be made of the bluest ice and made one feel as if they were piercing into your very soul. His blond hair was cut short down to the nape of his neck with a few strand in the front that hung longer and framed his face like a porcelain doll. He had long eyelashes that any girl would want and always seemed to be dressed in the finest of clothes. Where Saga was handsome and elegant Adrien was beautiful and dangerous like a rose teeming with thorns.

"Hm, you are right. I believe you have some information to share with me." Adrien took no notice of the Inspector's tone and instead flashed him an amused smile as if he were talking to a child and not a man who could easily be his grandfather.

Reaching into his coat pocket the inspector pulled out a thick brown folder and slid it across the table to the Count where he may search it at leisure. Inside was a copy of everything they had regarding the case that they had dubbed the "Grave Robber Case".

Taking the folder in his hands, Adrien searched through the files reading the reports a well as interviews with witnesses and others. Even though there had to be at least a hundred papers present there was almost nothing to go on. Every suspect had an alibi and none of the witnesses had caught a good look at the killer. It was a pile of nothing and even the Inspector knew it.

"The robbing began about four months ago, correct?" Adrien said absently as his eyes continued to glance over the files.

"Correct. The first grave was reported robbed on March 17th." The Inspector replied. The first grave had belonged to an elderly woman who had died of pneumonia. She was found missing her hand and they had first assumed someone had stolen it to take the ring she wore. Since then there are been eleven other victims including the boy they had found two days ago. Five had been corpses and the other victims had been living.

"One has to wonder just what triggered the change in victim choice. To go from the dead to the living is a very big transformation." Kent turned his eyes to Saga who was still standing behind his master with peculiar expression that made the man uneasy. It was almost as if he found the whole idea amusing in some way.

Kent was about to respond but he was interrupted from a knock on the parlor door before it opened revealing a maid wheeling in a cart of tea. The inspector had to wonder if everyone employed in the Sorien household had to pass a standard of beauty to be accepted.

"Tea is served, sir." The young girl said as she brushed back a strand of auburn hair before placing the exquisite china before them and pouring the tea into cups that would have cost the Inspector half a year's salary.

"Thank you Belle, will that be all?" Adrien asked as he lifted the cup up to his lips and took a sip. The young man pulled back a little and eyed the tea with the faintest hint of disgust. These English teas did not sit well with him but the Inspector seemed to be enjoying it.

"No sir. The Duchess Caussico will be arriving soon for your meeting." Bella explained. Adrien nodded his head and the young woman gave them a low bow before taking the cart with her out of the room.

The next fifteen minutes were spent discussing the files in the folder but Kent could see that Count Sorien was becoming agitated with their meeting meaning it was his time to go. Lifting himself out of his seat he said he would show himself out as he gave the Count a small bow and turned to leave.

Why the Queen wanted this man, no – this boy, involved was beyond him. There was something about Adrien that Kent did not trust and that butler of his had eyes like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey. There was something very wrong brewing in this household that made the Inspector's hair stand on in and his skin crawl. Who knew just what secrets lurked in the shadows of this mansion and how many more were hidden in the recesses of the Count's mind. This case was not clear cut and for the life of him, the Inspector couldn't shake off this feeling he had.

It was as if he had just made a deal with the devil himself.

Grabbing his hat, Kent left the mansion and stepped into his carriage just as another one arrived giving him only enough time to catch a glimpse of brown as his own ride pulled away and left the Count and his home in the distance.

Back in the parlor, Adrien pushed the teacup off to the side and played with the folder in his hands. "Tell Belle to make something other then that infernal tea. It tastes like garbage and I can't believe these Brits actually enjoy it." Adrien said through pursed lips.

"They do enjoy the strangest things. I will see if we have any coffee instead." Saga replied as he picked up the cup and saucer and turned to leave. Right as his hand touched the parlor door it burst open revealing a young woman who looked very put off.

"Good afternoon, Duchess." Saga said as he bowed to the woman and made way so she could enter the room.

"Pah, I don't see what's so good about it." The woman said as she stormed past and made herself at home while sitting down. "If you're about to leave, see if you can find me some of those peach tarts you make. I'm famished." The woman called out to the retreating man.

"Nice of you to drop by Juliet. Did you happen to misplace your skirts?" Adrien teased with a smirk as he glanced at the woman across from him. She was wearing something that would have been completely appropriate for a Duke but would have surely shocked any of the older women who saw her. Instead of the normal dresses that the ladies wore she was in pants and a waistcoat.

"Why should I bother dressing up in skirts that trip me and corsets that choke me when I can have some comfort. And I've told you a million times to call me Caussica." She tired back crossing her legs and taking the moment to peer at the folder the young man was holding. Brown eyes knit in confusion at the name on the folder and the symbol of Scotland Yard.

"Don't tell me that's the findings from the Grave Robber Case. Is there anything worthwhile in there?" Caussica couldn't hide the excitement that was creeping in her voice as she stretched her neck a bit to try and peer at the files. All of London was buzzing about it and she had no doubt Adrien would be involved somehow.

A thin smile played on the boys lips as he fingered the folder before getting out of his chair and walking towards the fireplace that was burning in the corner. He had seen everything he needed to and even though some of the pictures and descriptions would have made a veteran officer weak in the knees he seemed eerily calm about the whole thing.

"Absolutely nothing. They don't have the faintest idea of what they're dealing with." With one quick movement, Adrien threw the folder into the roaring fire and watched it burn quickly as the papers turned to ash. All the while he eyes were glowing as his lips turned upwards to a sinister smile.

The Inspector had no idea just what he was unleashing on the world.

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><p><strong>AN:** So how did the first real chapter go? There is a lot more to the Grave Robber Case then meets the eye and the poor Inspector has no idea just who right he is about things lurking in the shadows of the Count's house. Hopefully everyone is ok with how I portrayed their characters so far. I swear they will be getting more screen time but I really just needed to get the basics of the plot out in these past two chapters. Now the real fun can begin.

So please read and review!


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